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Show I 20-io nooK IV~ .. .I H I s T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. h. · anger and made him be put to death. Such is too often the lffi 10 , • • h . recompence of good counfel when princes are obihnate m t. etr. ca- pn.c e· s, an d ne gleCl: to attend to· the fincere.remontlrances of theu £·uth. 0 • • b d ~t.· ful fubjeCl:s. Ahuitzotl bemg unwllhng on any account to a an on nlS projeCts, caufed a large and fpacious aqueduCt to be for~ed (t) from Cojoacan to Mexico, by which the water was c~nve~ed With many fuperftitious ceremonies; Come of the priefts offermg mcenfe, others ~acrificing quails, and anointing the lip or border of the aque~uet Wtth the blood; others founding mufical inftruments, and otherwtfe folem.nizing the arrival of the water. The high-priefi: wore the fame habtt with which they reprefented Chalchihuit!t'cue, g?ddefs of t~e water (u). With .fuch congratulations the water was recetved at Mextco; but the prevailing joy was not long .of being changed into lamentations : as the rains of that year were fo plentiful, the w<tter.s of the lake rofe and overflowed the city; the ll:reets were filled with failing vcfiel s, and fame houfes walhed away. The king happening to be one day in the lower chambers of his palace, the water entered fuddenly in fuch abundance, that as he hafi:ened to get out at the door, which was low, he received a violent contufion on his head, which fome time after OC· cafioned his death. Difi:reffed equally with the accident of the inun. dation, and the clamours of his people, h~ callc~ the king of Acol· huacan to his affifi:ance, who, without delay, ordered the dyke to be repaired, whieh had been built by the advice of his father in the reign ef Montezuma. The Mexicans were f&rcely delivered from the cnlamity of the inundation, when a year after, the fuperabund:mce of water having rotted aU their maize, they were afRiCl:ed with a fcarcity of corn; but in this year they had the fortune to difcover a quarry of tetzontli in the vale of Mexico, which proved fo ufeful for the builcli!;1g-s of that city. The king immediately made ufe of this kind of fi:one for temples; and after his example, private individuals built their houfe£ of it, He or- (t} This aqueduCt was entirely deflroycd by Abuitzotl \limfelf, or his fuccdfor, for on the :ilrrival of the Spaninrds nothing remained of 'it. (u) AcoOa tc!lifics that the conveyance of the water of Huiu.ilopochco .to Mexico, nnd the ,c,:rcmonics performed by the pricils wc1:c 1:eprefentcd in .a Mcx;k:m J>aiming, which in his ti~ ~o~:as, and m~y be ilil), io the: li~rary .o.f the Va~ica.n. . cered .. • H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. dered all ruinous edifices to be pulled <?own and rebuilt in a better form; adding much to the beauty and magnificence of his court. He pafit:d the laft years of his life in conftant wars, namely, thofe of Izquixochitlan, Amatlan, Tla.cuilollan, Xaltepec, Tecuantepec, and 1Iuexotla in Huaxteca. Tliltototl, the Mexican general, having finilhed the war of Izquixochitlan, carried his viCl:orious· arms as far as ~ahtemallan, or Guatemala, more than nine hundred tniles to the fouth-eaft from the court, in which campaigns, according to the hiftorians, he performed prodigies of valour, but none of them relate the par-· ticular aCl:ions of this renowned general ; nor do we know whethoc that great traCl: of country remained fubjeet to the crown of Mexico. At length in the year 1502, after a reign of about twenty years. Ahuitzotl Jied of an iHRefs occafioned by the abovementioned contufion on his head. He was a very warlike king, and one of thofe who extended moft confiderably the dominions of the crown. At the time of l1is death, the Mexicans were· in poffefiion of all which they had at the arrival of the Spaniards. Befides courage, he had two other royal virtues, which made him celebrated among his countrymen; thefe were mag~ 1ificence ::rnd liberality. He embellilhed Mexico with fo many new and magnificent buildings, that it was already become the firll: city of the new world. When he received the provincial tributes he afiembled the people in a certain fquare of the rity, and perfonally diftributed provifions and cloathing to the necefli to us. He rewarded his captains 1md foldiers who diftingui{hed themfelves in war, and tile mir}ifi:ers and officers of the crown who ferved 0 him with fidelity, with gold, filver. jewels, and precious feathers. Thefe virtues were put to the foil by fome ·vices, as he was capricious, vindictive, and fometimes cruel, and fo inclined to war, that l1c appeared to hate peace; from which the name Ahuitzotl was ufed proverbially by the Spaniards of that kingdom to lignify a man whofe troublefome vexatious temper would not permit another to live (x)~ But he was in other refpeCl:s good humoured, and delighted fo much in mufic, that he never wanted, neither by night nor day this a,IJlufement in his pabce; but it mull: have been prejudicial to the public good, as it robbed him of a great part of that time which lhould (.r) The Spaniards f~y, N. cs mio Ah.uiuo.te; <l!!dli ee I' Ahuiu.ote di N. a niuno man co. il fllo Ahuitzotc, &.c. have ; zos BOoK IV. ~ S I! C To XXVI. New conqueRs an!.l death of. A• huitzotl. |